“One of the dirty little secrets kept by the pet food industry is that some by-products also contain substances such as abscesses and cancerous material. In my opinion, feeding slaughterhouse waste to animals increases their chances of getting cancer and other degenerative diseases. Some meat, especially glandular tissue, may contain high levels of hormones, which may also cause serious health problems including cancer. Unlike bacteria and viruses, these hormones are not destroyed by the high temperatures or pressure cooking used in the manufacture of pet food. Cats seem to be most adversely affected by high hormone levels. “
Healing Pets With Nature’s Miracle Cures By Henry Pasternak DVM CVA, page 11
Our pets can bring us so much joy and peace amidst the chaos of our busy lives. They give us nothing more than their total attention and unconditional love and ask for minimal in return. However we’ve become consumed in learning about human nutrition and wellness and yet we seem to neglect the same consideration for our pets. We see a pet food label at the super market which reads “natural” and we immediately feel better about what we are feeding our animals. Unfortunately marketing most often leaves ethics at the door when promoting pet food products, and the term “natural” is often exploited to disturbing extremes.
The challenge comes in a society where the cost of living pressures us to save money wherever we can. Organic and nutritious food is expensive, processed foods are cheap. This reasoning often influences the majority, especially lower-middle class families, to invest in pre-packaged, frozen, and “convenient” foods. This logic is also applied when purchasing pet food. Considering the average 10 kg bag of “natural” pet food costs around $50 a CAN, it is understandable how one could stray away from buying organic pet food which costs more and usually comes in smaller bags. Buying “natural” usually strokes our cognitive dissonance and keeps us at ease.
The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the FDA supply us with no official definition of the term “natural.” One would naturally infer that this term would confirm that the pet food we are buying contains no miscelaneous chemicals, dyes, preservatives, etc., however this is not the case. Advertising is our generation’s greatest enemy. We see an image of a happy and healthy looking cat or dog and we immediately associate this with how our animals will be when they eat the particular food. Perhaps we see images of steak, fish, or poultry on the bag which helps make our decisions. The reality is that companies can label pet food as containing “natural meat” when in fact there is not a single bit of real meat in the mix. Harmful chemicals are not required to be labeled either, which creates trouble for the more conscious brands which actually contain quality ingredients.
Natural News released an article which detailed gruesome information about the pet food industry,
“Let’s start with what usually appears as the protein source and the primary ingredient in pet food: Meat byproducts or meat meal. Both are euphemisms for the parts of animals that wouldn’t be considered meat by any smart consumer. The well-known phrase “meat byproducts” is a misnomer since these byproducts contain little, if any meat at all. These are the parts of the animal left over after the meat has been stripped away from the bone. “Chicken by-products include head, feet, entrails, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, stomach, bones, blood, intestines, and any other parts of the carcass not fit for human consumption,” writes Henry Pasternak in Healing Animals with Nature’s Cures.
Meat meal can contain the boiled down flesh of animals we would find unacceptable for consumption. This can include zoo animals, road kill, and 4-D (dead, diseased, disabled, dying) livestock. Most shockingly, this can also include dogs and cats. That’s right, your pets could be cannibals. Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser writes, “Although leading American manufacturers promise never to put rendered pets into their pet food, it is still legal to do so. A Canadian company, Sanimal Inc., was putting 40,000 pounds of dead dogs and dead cats into its dog and cat food every week, until discontinuing the practice in June 2001. “This food is healthy and good,” said the company’s vice president of procurement, responding to critics, ”but some people don’t like to see meat meal that contains any pets.”
The process of how dead animals become food for our pets is even more disturbing. After all, it takes a lot to turn roadkill into something owners feel good about pouring into their pets’ bowls. Ann M. Martin describes the process in Food Pets Die For: “At the rendering plant a machine slowly grinds the entire mess in huge vats. Then this product is cooked at temperatures between 220 degrees Fahrenheit and 270 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes to one hour. The mixture is centrifuged (spun at a high speed) and the grease (or tallow) rises to the top and it is removed from the mixture. The grease becomes the source of animal fat in most pet foods. Oftentimes, when you open a standard can of dog food, you will see a top layer of fat. The centrifuged product is the source of that fat, which is meant to entice a hungry dog or cat. After the grease is removed in the rendering process, the remaining material is dried. Meat meal, and meat and bone meal are the end product of this process. This dried material is usually found in dry pet food.”
[youtube id=”g9DTzDfYMxo”]
^^Video of hidden camera detailing the “rendering” process in a pet food factory^^
Rendering practices aren’t just gross; they’re also dangerous for your pets. The chemicals used to euthanize zoo animals, dogs and cats can survive the cooking process, which means these chemicals end up in pet food, and ultimately, in your pet. Martin writes, “Euthanized cats and dogs often end up in rendering vats along with other questionable material to make meat meal, and meat and bone meal. This can be problematic because sodium pentobarbital can withstand the heat from rendering. For years, some veterinarians and animal advocates have known about the potential danger of sodium pentobarbital residue in commercial pet food, yet the danger has not been alleviated.” In short, that means the poisons designed to kill pets are the same ones being fed to them.
Now that you know pet food manufacturers will seemingly go to any length to fill their foods with the cheapest sources of protein they can find, you probably won’t be surprised to find out that the other ingredients in pet foods aren’t much better. Cheap grain fillers, cellulose to bulk up the food, preservatives and poorly monitored vitamin and mineral supplements round out the recipe. In Healing Pets with Nature’s Miracle Cures, Henry Pasternak writes, “Remember, pet foods are primarily processed, grain-based diets. These foods are ‘fortified’ with synthetic B vitamins, which can cause a subclinical B vitamin deficiency.” Martin mentions in Food Pets Die For that one bag of dog food was overloaded with so much zinc that she had to take her dog to the vet because he became ill. She took the bag of food to an independent lab to verify that the zinc content of the food was 20 times the recommended daily allowance for dogs.
Preservatives in dog and cat foods keep them seemingly fresh for long periods of time: “Unfortunately, harmful chemical preservatives and other artificial additives are the norm in most pet foods. Some are intentionally added by the manufacturer, while others come from the herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides used by farmers to boost crop yields,” Pasternak writes. While some pet food companies have decided to use less harmful preservatives and natural preservatives, most pet food companies don’t find these ingredients to be cost effective.
What Can You Do Right Now?
This information can be difficult to take in, especially considering the amount of love we have for our animals. Shouldn’t the same love and consideration that we give to ourselves be taken into account with our pets? We have the ability to change all of this. The first step is to become as informed as possible. Susan Thixton is the creator of “The Truth About Pet Food”, a website dedicated to pet food awareness. It is an excellent source for any information regarding the ingredients contained in your pet’s food as well as the regulations surrounding the pet food industry today. She also offers recipes for easy and nutritious homemade pet food. “PetsumerReport” is another site which offers detailed information about pet food ingredients.
References:
1.) http://www.naturalnews.com/024776_food_pet_natural.html
2.) http://www.naturalnews.com/012647_pet_food_dog.html
3.) http://truthaboutpetfood2.com/the-worst-horror-of-pet-food-confirmed-in-spain
Thanks for the interesting article! Another way that pets are getting poisoned is through pharmaceuticals used by their veterinarians. Dogs are given Baytril, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, all the time, despite the fact that it has been shown to cause lameness in puppies by destroying their cartilage. 🙁 Dogs are pack animals, so when they are in pain, they try to hide it, so as to stay with the pack. If your dog suddenly seems like he or she can’t move like he or she used to after going to the vet,I recommend that you look into whether or not he or she was given Baytril. It’s poison. It also destroys all connective tissue. In case it needs to be said, connective tissue is really important for dogs (and cats) to keep.
I stopped feeding my dog commercial dog food a few years back. We started buying her organic chicken and organic rice and home-cooking everything for her as much as we did the same for ourselves. It was only this year that the funny commercial dog food smell disappeared from her breath. I am wondering what could be in that commercial dog food that made that funny smell last so long in my dog’s breath. We eventually became vegetarians. We kept feeding our much-beloved dog her organic meat, until I read about a vegan dog who has reached the age of 27. Our Molly now eats home cooked vegetarian meals. She likes chickpeas. She likes stews with a lot of tomatoes and carrots. She loves baked sweet potatoes above all. My heart literally aches when I think back about all those years we fed her commercial dog food. The only problem left now is the mandatory vaccination that comes with licensing a dog. I would not even allow anyone to vaccinate me, and I am in the healthcare industry. I have ceased being a sheeple, believing the daily propaganda we are bombarded with on TV and other mainstream media sources. What we take for granted as our reality IS NOT.
Cecille: What exactly is ‘funny commercial food breath?” Are you sure Molly isn’t too arthritic or fat to lick her ass? Doing so affords a distinct minty fragrance that goes away if she can’t clean herself.
Oh, and I’m sorry that What you take for granted as reality IS NOT. One wonders who’s reality yours is. That must suck!
“My dog eats only natural food.” If you dogs have been eating only natural foods for the entirety of their existence, perhaps you shouldn’t comment on something you have zero clue about. 🙂
And I think we can all agree that the government, mainstream media and the general persons in control of distributing information do keep the things of importance from us. I’m sure that is what she is referring to. 🙂 Negative Nancy. If you have nothing nice to say to people, then do not. Try to understand first. I understand you may think she is in the wrong/ignorant by veganizing her carnivorous companion. But not every lifestyle is the same. Not everyone lives in natural regions where their pets get to hunt, nor does everyone have enough money to take such expeditions. Or to afford a gun for that matter. Life isn’t so one-sided. Open up a bit and think before you spread negativity unnecessarily. 🙂
Namaste, to each of you. I hope you both have a great day.
Yea, you suck hippie!! Its so dumb how you care about things!! Only girls eat vegetables…. men go on the internet and pick cyber-fights with women that are minding their own business!! If you were here, I would punch you right in the ovaries…. then we would really look tough!!
Ps. Good one Tom! Calling her dog fat really made you look awesome!! But now I know why your breath is always minty and that’s gross.
Tom, first of all, I would like to thank you for Myspace. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about it, just because It’s not one of the social media sites at the top right corner of this page. And if you don’t mind, id like to call you by you full name. So, Mr. Tomato, by your comments I am guessing YOUR reality is a made-up one… set somewhere is 19th century Canada? Well some of us, future folks didn’t settle for upper-lower class, moved out of the farm…. or possibly woods somewhere?, got a job, and now live in cities. And in these cities, there are rules you must obey. Unfortunately, these people are not allowed to have their animals roam for carcases. So they must purchase food from a store. Now these people may become sad when they find out that these packages that say “natural” and “healthy” really contain other peoples poisoned animals. Also, forced cannibalism is nowhere in natural selection, you sick Tomato. Thanks for being a tool buddy.
in australia there was a dog that lived to the age of 30 it lived on a vegetarian diet
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dogs-carnivores-omnivores/ you may want to read this in regards to feeding your dog a strickly Vegan diet, dogs need meat protein …
My dog eats only natural food – horse turds, cow flop, a deer leg, and what’s left over from wolf kills, which is usually a lot since they kill for sport and to train their pups.
Interesting that woofies eats the organs first, often before the animal is dead. Apparently they didn’t get the author’s memo that offal or cruelty was bad, but elk, deer, beef and mutton is 100% organic and undoubtedly fresh. These are Canadian wolves, kidnapped by our government and let loose among our livestock, which they prefer more and more as they multiply.
My cats love mice – they eat them head first like popcorn. Voles, birds and packrats add variety and parasites. The little rascals leave me the tails, feathers and stomachs, not my favorite parts. None of the cats live long – wolves, coyotes and owls eat them, so cancer isn’t their primary concern. Natural selection is.
I think the author spends too much time anthropomorphizing critters.
Finally some on with HONEST answers !
I care way too much about my pets to just release them to the odds of natural selection in wild life. That’s why they’re my pets and not wild animals; they’re very much a part of my family. I bet you wouldn’t just shrug if your daughter/son got eaten by a wolf or a mountain lion. That’s the point of this article, if we love our pets so much (which sounds like you don’t your cats), why be less conscientious about what they eat and their health than we are for ourselves and families. I support giving your dogs and cats a natural experience, but not at the cost of loosing them to a bigger and more ferocious animal. Start bringing your cats inside at night (at least a garage, barn, something), and enjoy the bond you may form with them for possibly 20 years plus (cats can live a long time), if lucky, and by removing predators from the equation.
Right on Tom!! Way to use this inter-web thing to show these flower-kissing homos who is boss!!
How did all those animals end up on your property?? Good god fearing men like us don’t buy no animals!! takes money away from shotgun shells!! One time a cat ended up on my property…. guess what I fed it… you got it, one of those shotgun shells. Unfortunately its not natural selection killing those stray cats roaming your property (that you don’t feed or take care of)…. Its me!! Figured you wouldn’t mind me doin’ you a solid, you can thank me later!
Anyways, I couldn’t that fancy word you used in my word-of-the-day calendar…. what one are you using? And may I borrow your dog to eat some shit around my place? I haven’t had time to clean it up because I have been too busy trying to find woofies to give them a memo telling them it’s impossible to eat vital organs of a living creature before it dies.
Keep up the good work Tom!!
Thank you so much. I am crying out of my love for you.
Marry me.
So does the author have any petfood from store shelves they recommend; brand name/type etc?? Or is this article page all about informing us of a problem without giving us a solution? I understand theres links to recipes of home-made dog food, but realistically, being broke, pushed for time, and having multiple dogs…. Can someone please let us know the names of any brands that have a more “honorable” process and product??
The solution is to keep reading everything you can, make your own, well-informed choices, and then STAY ON TOP OF THEM. Pet food companies are bought out on a regular basis. There are foods I would have recommended this time last year that I wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole now. I can’t speak for this author, but I deliberately avoid mentioning brands because of this. Because I don’t want something shady to happen 8 months down the line, then have people lined up crying, “But you said…!” at me. I don’t want the article to be passed around for the next 5 years, unintentionally glorifying brands that have since gone down the drain and then some.
Years ago dh and I would make our own pet food for our critters…sadly, I haven’t done it in years and have lost/forgotten the recipe. Can anyone here help me out with a good recipe? I have 3 cats and one tiny Yorki.
Hey Chris, I have done both, however I feel that most people that raw feed do not do it properly because there is a lot of work for a balanced diet. ie..a freezer, huge food processor, an amply supply of fresh veggies and chicken parts. You might want to read the original books on raw feeding. BARF diet. I am also sick of those with videos out there showing their dog eating an entire chicken. However I have found that with my mastiff, blue buffalo freedom works at this point in time for my mastiff and she started on raw. However I do recommend you do your own research. I feed very little and supplement with fruits and veggies. one big thing to know is the premium foods have to feed by what is on the label where as grocery foods are commodity driven and ingredients on the label do not have to change unless the change is longer than a quarter so you never know what is truly in the food. so if you feed a dry feed a premium. I am sure there are tons of people who will now slam me as it seems to be a national pastime but you have to do the best you can with your budget and time. There is no one perfect way to feed and I am sorry if everyone sees this as black or white and not grey. However I can tell you that raw feeding did not prevent three mastiffs dying from osteo’s. good luck. Clean water and lots of love go along way. fyi, raw meaty bones from your grocer, are a great snack and teeth cleaner and usually very affordable. give them right from the freezer. 🙂 Also buy made in the usa.
James, unfortunately, there really isn’t a totally “safe” kibble out on the market. Even the most expensive brands have fallen to the recall mantra.
There is a VERY limited number of processing plants that provide protein sources for ALL the kibble manufacturers. Seriously, I think there’s maybe 5 in the entire United States. So even if the rest of the ingredients are processed under pristine conditions, there’s still that pesky meat issue – coming from one of those 5 or so sources.
Like you, I have several giant breed dogs. I went in and talked to my local grocery store meat manager. They order 40# boxes of chicken necks & backs and I pay .75/lb. Becuase the dogs are digesting all of it, I don’t have to feed as much as I used to with kibble. I never have to have their teeth cleaned & I never have to worry about bloat or cancerous tumors, etc. that processed kibble causes.
A really, really good book you might want to check out is “Raw Dog Food”. There’s a Bulldog on the cover. It ought to be titled “Raw feeding for Dummies”, it’s that basic! The author writes in a simple, pragmatic style that goes a long way to explaining the hows & whys. There’s even an entire chapter on poop! LOT’S of terrific resources in the back.
Dr. Richard Pitcairn wrote about this in his book also! He recommends making your own pet food from human grade ingredients in your own kitchen.
A good book to read is: “Food Pets Die For”, by Ann N. Martin. She exposes all of this crap the pet “food” industry likes to conceal!
Raw, species appropriate food vs. commercially prepared kibble is going to be a hotly debated issue as long as there are success stories on both sides. I feed raw to my several giant breed family members. It’s cheaper, easier and healthier for them. Their teeth are gorgeous and their breath is so much sweeter thanks to crunching through chicken necks and drumsticks. All raw. Also, because their digestive systems can actually process raw food efficiently, I have next to nothing to “pick up” in the yard! It works better for my family but I understand that it doesn’t work for everybody. Still, after seeing these reports (this one is definitely not the first!) and watching even high-end kibble getting recalled due to salmonella, I just can’t see the logic behind feeding that stuff anymore
Ask yourself this:
Would you respect a pediatrician who told you to feed your toddler the exact same, factory processed food day-in and day-out, every meal?
Dogs are NOT little people – they are carnivores. Asking them to eat a vegan or vegetarian diet makes as much sense as feeding hamburger meat & pork chops to a horse.
Lastly, food for thought: Kibble has only been in existence since the 30’s while dogs have been around for thousands of years. Who’s the victim of mass marketing & brainwashing?
Think about it…
Actually in the wild dogs are scavengers eating both meats and grasses and even some berries. While it is not healthy to feed a dog an all vegetarian/vegan diet, a few vegetables here and there are good for them hence dogs eating grass when outdoors.
Cats on the other hand are true carnivores and should be given food that contains little vegetables
you are wrong. if dogs/wolves truly knew what is best for them, they wouldnt eat poison stuffed in bread or meat set up by poachers or heartless people, dont you think?
and wild dogs arent “scavengers”, they are opportunistic carnivores, which means they *can* eat some veggies, grass and plant material in order to *survive*, but only on a true carnivorous diet they can actually thrive.
if veggies were good for them, they would digest it, which is not the case. when a dog eats grass, it will either vomit or poop it *the exact same way it got in*. if dogs were meant to have an omnivorous diet, they would digest plant material.
cats are obligate carnivores, they shouldnt be fed “little vegetables”.
I think you are not totally correct, my dog loves fruit so much especially mango and papaya, she likes corn too and always eat as much as I can give her, and I think she digested them well since I never saw any of those things in her poop. But that’s not the case with my cat, he never have interest in any fruit or vegetable, he eats only meat, and rice for both of them. So in my opinion, dogs are likely half omnivorous. And I think yes, dogs/wolves know what is best for them as long as it is natural and not processed.
This is a great article and I am more than happy to share it. I have been feeding my dogs non-processed foods all their lives. I am a canine behaviourist and an author. I believe diet plays a big part in affecting a dog’s behaviour. However, the whole time I was reading it on my phone an ad for Hungry Jacks followed me as I scrolled down. Apart from being a nuisance the irony was not missed. Is it possible to screen what ads come up?
We own a petsstore and sell both commercial and “natural” raw food, but offcourse also the natural raw food is profitable and so its also commercial food. On both sides the brands are working hard to make good food foor pets and make them live longer. We are seeing the proof for ourselves! No mather what kind of food or brand you feed to your dog or cat or whatever, if it fits for your pet, why dont you feed it to them? You have yourself a brake, relax and just enjoy life with your pets and love them like they love you! 🙂
it’s break….not brake …did you not read the article at all? the drugs they use for euthanasia could be in the food….also have you never heard of mad cow disease which can come from animals eating their own species? If you are ok with all the foods and don’t want to be more informed there are other people out there who are going to make sure their pets get quality food and are not just eating it because they are hungry and there is nothing else.
Interesting!
Someone look at the film at 4:13 and please tell me that is a bag blowing in a wind and not a live dog.
My heart dropped because I’m not sure.. 🙁
looks like it is a dog…:(
My heart broke when I saw it too, it’s horrible. The wind would not blow one single bag, it would blow the whole pile.
Happy Dog Food !!!
There is no solution of this problem. This is a crime to feed our babies with poison. Government closes its eyes because commercial pet food industry brings $$$$$$ multimillion profit! It is up to everyone of us to reconsider the feeding of our babies if they were on a commercial diet especially dry toxic food. Listen to wise Mother Nature and start feeding your baby cooked or raw (THE BEST CHOICE!!!) food. You will see the difference and I bet you will forget the road to your Vet and your wallet will be much happier not paying for antibiotics, steroids and other drugs that destroy your baby;s body causing cancer, diabetics, pancreatic disease etc. Ask yourself the only question: “Do I really know what my fur baby had for dinner if you feed commercial food?” I know your answer! So, do you really love your pet and care of their health??? Think twice before opening any can or bag…
Feed your pets Life’s Abundance…we swear by it…it’s holistic dog food and our pups are the picture of health.
“soilent green” of animal world?! trully gruesome! 🙁 but what brands are safe (or, at least, safer)?!
Unfortunately, none. The food you make or raw food.
Uh oh, everyone is getting too emotional instead of too rational. I feed my three dogs nothing but raw meat and bones because that it their natural food except sometime it is too clean.
The fact is, dogs and cats are designed (not unlike humans) to handle nasty little bugs and pathogens, the more nasty bugs and pathogens they eat the more immune to them they become and the stronger their immune system gets. If you sterilize everything you give your dogs and cats plan on spending ubber amounts of money at the vets.
If you want healthy dogs and cats let them eat that nasty old dead squirrel rotting in the sun, let them eat the hide, bones and all.
I do not vaccinate my dogs. Instead I feed them the foods that allow them to develop their immunity to disease. My recent litter of pups, my second and last litter because I am not a puppy farm all ate whole chickens ground up in a meat grinder and mothers mild and mother was eating raw chicken and other meat and bones. Any dog that is on a raw meat diet with a high quality of life, not slapped in a kennel and not abused will be immune to all doggy disease especially parvo.
My dogs are at home now asleep on the couch and this weekend when I am off of work they will do things no other dog can do. My dogs are fed correctly and have solid peace of mind and consequently a powerful immune system.
Do not sterilize your dog food. Protect your dog and feed them foods that stimulate immunity like raw meat and bones even with nasty bugs in them. Don’t feed them corn and cardboard.
You are a man of common sense David. Congratulations.
What is the best cat food??
Cats are obligate carnivores, the best thing you can feed them is raw diet (make sure it’s balanced if you make your own or buy premade like bravo or primal). Next best thing is grain free canned like evo or weruva
Ok. Feeding your dog using the KISS method. Keep It Simple, Stupd…Long ago I read
Do Not feed your dog anything that you yourself wouldn’t eat.. It works for me…
http://www.rawmeatybones.com
You don’t need to cook your dog’s food. The stuff in the cans and much of dry food is basically junk food for dogs and will eventually make them ill.
Table food can be unacceptable if it contains certain foods otherwise table scraps are fine. Dogs are scavengers and bone processors. Pet food companies are corporations who don’t care about you, your pets and want to baffle you with bullshit and take your money.
Can you name the brands that are doing this PLEASE
you just need to read the ingredients. or if you want to know what your pet is eating switch it to a raw diet.
I gave my dogs since they were babys pedigree puppy and pedigree dog food lost my 5 dogs to cancer dont give these foods to your pets look whats in them chep dog foods are tne worest
Arroyo says: “I gave my dogs since they were babys pedigree puppy and pedigree dog food lost my 5 dogs to cancer dont give these foods to your pets look whats in them chep dog foods are tne worest”
Carbs are the worst. Cheep dog foods are almost total carbs from corn. Almost every dog that dies from parvo has been vaccinated for parvo. Treat your dog as if he or she is a wolf and you will never need a vet.
Pet Care Products are essential for every pet as it gives the nutrients that the dog needs to stay healthy. Good dog Food is essential for healthy living of a dog.
Thanks for shining some light on the facts.
So what pet food can we use? I use kibbles and bits dry food and a cup of gourmet wetfood for my little fur baby.
check http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com, and aim for 4-5 star foods. Most good quality products won’t come from grocery stores. Instead you’ll find them at small independent retailers, some chain stores (like pet supermarket), feed stores and online.
Also I have found free range beef at my local farmers market, the same meat,chicken,eggs etc I feed my children. It’s a bit harder to find green tripe which is a great source for dogs. We have one local butcher who will sell it. Can’t buy it in local store.s
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kibbles-n-bits-dog-food-dry/
kibbles and bits is one of the WORST foods to feed your animals… I used to feed them this crap years ago, when I wasn’t educated enough to know the difference. I just now purchased Darwin’s dog and cat food samples to see how my animals will like it. It is not cheap, especially with my 7 animal zoo, but it is worth it for me in the long run.
as far as dogfood advisor goes, once again, I do not see how it can possibly help anyone with their reviews especially after reading this article about what the definition of CHICKEN “MEAL” is… because all 5 star brands on that website have some type of “MEAL” in them , usually as the second product… I will no longer be going to that site for my pet food reviews.. I’ll just use my own judgement and common sense by looking at the ingredients on the packaging.
Pet Care products are not the optimum food to give your pets. A well balanced species appropriate food is by far superior in every way. More and more professionals are becoming educated on the benefits of raw feeding.
I would not feed my dogs on anything else now Ive seen the difference in their health and mental well being
Correct Ann, raw meat and bones is the only healthy diet for dogs. Take a sick dog off of commercial dog food and put them on a raw chicken diet and they will become a healthy dog as long as they still have organs and glands to work with. Typically if a dog can eat and drink they can recover from any disease without any other assistance than meat and bones. $60 worth of raw chicken and bones can do what $7000 in vet bills cannot do.
Humans are intended to be disease free too! Diet is somewhat important but not that important, knowledge is the key to being disease free in humans. Too bad there is no vested interest in humans being more healthy, hence the never ending constant failure of today’s medicine WITH THE EXCEPTION of trauma medicine and livestock medicine. Outside of trauma medicine and medicine for livestock all other medicine is 99.9% failure and paid dearly to fail.
The Canine species are carnivores, this means that their digestive systems are optimized to eat and digest “raw” meat as a protein source. They actually have no need for, nor do they digest well, carbohydrates. If one checks the ingredients in commercial foods, you will see that they tout a “balanced diet” of meat meals and grains or rice and vegetables. As it turns out, dogs and cats, with their short bowels, high stomach acidity, lack of amylase in there saliva and jaw that moves up and down, but no “molars” to grind food, can not digest carbohydrates well.
The pet food industry as a whole are concerned with profits. There is little regulation, as these foods are for animals and most recalls you will see are due to bacteria in the food that may harm humans (dogs, due to their short bowel and stomach acid that is 10 times as strong as a humans) can eat meat that is contaminated with most bacteria and do fine.
I urge everyone to read and learn about their dogs needs, and forget the advertising.
Chuck well said. I just started feeding Midnight my Lab raw this year and he won’t go near his old dog food. It’s really been eye opening when you do a little homework.
My cat is on a prescription c/d diet for life. Is there any comparable organic or healthy option for prescription c/d diet cat food?
Feed your cat raw chicken with the bones and it’s own immune system will engage.
Sadly of the three cats I have, all refuse to eat anything but cat food!
I’ve tried everything I can find on the internet for homemade cat food and foods cats can have.
Cats can be more finicky. You might add a little salt and do a fast seer on a hot skillet and hold back cat food for a day. Once they start eating it, seer it less and cut the salt back. Salt won’t hurt them, wild cats travel many miles to find natural salt.
If they get hungry enough they will eat anything. You are doing them a huge service by making them less picky.
Isn’t it important to rotate a few different types of proteins? Same kind year after year can cause a food allergy/inflammation, so I’ve been told. Also, HOW do you feed cats chicken bones? Isn’t that incredibly unsafe?
The only thing that can cause allergies is being born with them or too much carbs and sugars an animal on raw meat and bones will never get allergies and raw meat and bones will stop animals that already have allergies from having reactions. Cats may not like eating the bones but you never know, once they detect the marrow inside them, you might break one and they will bite and gnaw on them like a dog.
Don’t forget you are suppose to be allergy free and immune to disease like most wild animals are too. 🙂
If we are going to go by this information, we surely need a new reliable source of dog and cat food reviews. Since dog food advisor lists all the brands that contain MEAL in them as their 5 star brands, I dknt see how I can benefit from their reviews… Any suggestions or ideas?
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com is a good source but to be honest if you find a good local pet shop/feed store that carries quality foods they are your best source of reliable info.